Ditte Young is an animal telepath who is called in by people who want to get to know their horses, dogs, and cats better.

Ditte Young stands with her eyes closed beside the stall where the horse Ogenda is eating her morning meal.

“I tune in to her and act as an interpreter. She tells me how she feels, and I receive images, thoughts, and emotions, then pass them on. Both of us can become quite tired,” says Ditte Young.

Today, she is visiting the horse’s owner, Thurid, who has asked her to come to Frederikssund Riding Center, where Ogenda has a habit of throwing off her riders.

Ditte Young explains what she believes the horse is experiencing: Thurid sits unevenly in the saddle, the horse would like a massage but does not want to see a chiropractor, and Ogenda does not want to compete in horse shows but does so for her owner’s sake. The horse also has concerns about some of the people at the riding center.

Some of these observations make sense to Thurid, while others leave her puzzled.

The session lasts one hour.

What does your job involve?

“I read animals’ personalities, their relationships with their owners, and act as an interpreter between animals and their owners.

“I open all my senses, including my sixth sense, and feel as though I become the animal itself. I translate energy into nonverbal communication and speech so the owners can understand.

“I call myself a therapist between animals and people.”

Why do people contact you?

“Often they have a problem with their animal, or the animal has behavioral problems, but the veterinarian says there is nothing wrong.”

What do you think about having such an unusual job?

“I know it sounds ridiculous that you can communicate with animals. But I see it every day, so it has become natural to me.”

What do people say when they hear what you do for a living?

“‘Can you really do that?’ My husband’s friends have laughed a lot at it, but when they hear that it’s a full-time job with a waiting list of up to three months, they become a little humbler.”

What is the strangest animal you have communicated with?

“A budgerigar. I could describe the layout of its owner’s living room even though I had never been there.

“I have also communicated with goldfish, hamsters, ferrets, and dolphins, but I prefer working with cats, horses, and dogs because they are intelligent animals, and you can communicate with them in a way that allows therapy to work — whether it’s helping a dog stop jumping up or making a horse easier to ride.”

Do you have any pets yourself?

“No. I’m not a horse person either. But that’s actually a good thing, because I don’t have any personal interests or emotions involved when I communicate with animals.”

Are there animals that don’t want to communicate with you?

“Horses can be skeptical, but when I explain what I’m there to do, they’re okay with it.”

How did you discover that this was what you wanted to do?

“I trained as a clairvoyant and was told that I had a talent for communicating with animals. I was skeptical, but I tried it. Now I make a living from it.”